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Argentina’s top 10 winemakers under 40 (Sub-40)

by Amanda Barnes November 18, 2016

Want to know what the new generation think you should be drinking from Argentina? The Sub40 tasting is probably one of the best indicators of what the youngest generation of winemakers and sommeliers think scores top and which winemakers are leading the way in the style stakes.

Now in its third year, Sub40 is an independent tasting where a panel of winemakers (and a few sommeliers) under the age of 40 taste through wines produced by winemakers under the age of 40 and award them each a score out of 100.

The tasting serves as feedback and an open discussion about winemaking styles today, and also celebrates the top scoring. There were 71 wines presented this year with producers from Salta, San Juan, Rio Negro, Neuquen, Buenos Aires and Mendoza. The 11 flights took over 7 hours to taste and discuss.

This year as well as a Top 10 that scored the highest, the Sub40 also announced the Top Sparkling, Top White, Top Garage Wine and the Sommelier’s Choice. The tasters also chose the Top Senior Winemaker.

Without further adieu, here are the results:

Best Sparkling: Agustín Lopez (Alma 4, Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose)

Agustín is part of a quad of friends who started a winemaking project together while studying winemaking at university. When a professor said you can’t make a sparkling red wine, they all took umbrage and decided to make a sparkling red wine and prove that teacher wrong. Alma 4 sparkling Bonarda was born. Today the four amigos (Agustín Lopez, Mauricio Castro, Sebastian Zuccardi, and Marcela Manini) make more than just sparkling red – they also make this delicious award-winning sparkling Pinot Noir rose.

Best White & Best Garage Wine: Guiseppe Franceschini (La Giostra del Vino)

Guiseppe took home a double win this year, although for two different wines. His Bacan Sauvignon Blanc was the best white in the competition, and his Bacan Malbec was the top garage wine of the competition. Originally from Veneto in Italy, Guiseppe came to Mendoza in 2007 and has been making wine here ever since. Doing double harvests each year, one in Italy and one in Argentina, has given him quite a unique perspective on winemaking. As a consultant for various wineries in Mendoza, he is best known for his work with white wines including Caelum’s Fiano.

Sommelier’s Choice: Marcos Fernández (Doña Paula)

Doña Paula is a household name in Mendoza, but Marcos Fernández is only just stepping into the light. Having taken over David Bonomi as the Head Winemaker at Doña Paula in 2014, he has previous experience at wineries in Mendoza (where he spent 8 years at Finca Decero) and also spent some time in California working with Paul Hobbs. At Doña Paula some of his first harvests are coming to market, and in Sub40 he won Sommelier’s Choice for the blend he put together of 2012 Malbec from Gualtallary under their top label Alluvia Parcel.

The Top 10 Winemakers Under 40

10: Santiago Mayorga

One of Argentina’s most promising winemakers in the new generation, Santiago Mayorga cut his teeth at Mendel where he worked under famous consultant Roberto de la Mota for many years. Since 2013 he has been winemaker in charge at Nieto Senetiner, which is where the winning wine is from: Bodega Cadus, Finca Las Torcazas Malbec. Mayorga was well recognised for his work with not only Malbec but also Semillon at Mendel, and he has replicated his success in the white variety at Nieto Senetiner as well as bringing a fresh approach to their top line of wines, Cadus.

9: Marcos Fernández from Doña Paula with Alluvia Parcel (see above)

8: Victoria Prandina

The only female winemaker to make the Top 10, Victoria Prandina has been working at Concha y Toro’s Bodega Trivento under the guidance of one of Chile’s top winemakers Enrique Tirado as consultant. The winning wine was Eolo Malbec 2013 – the winery’s top wine – which has been gaining international recognition over recent years. She previously worked as a lab analyst and Trivento is her first placement as a winemaker – one which she is certainly experiencing a lot of success in.

7: Juan Pablo Michelini

Winemaking is in Juan Pablo’s blood. After following in the footsteps of his older brother, Matias Michelini, into winemaking, Juan Pablo has become an influential winemaker in his own right. As Head Winemaker at Zorzal winery in the Uco Valley, Juan Pablo has been a leader in the concrete egg movement in Argentine winemaking. Although that doesn’t mean to use he doesn’t use barrels. The winning wine Piantao Cabernet Franc spends 36 months aging in barrel and the result is one of the top wines, and a special edition, in Zorzal.

6. Sebastian Zuccardi

Another concrete convert, Sebastian Zuccardi is the third generation Head Winemaker of Zuccardi winery and their new Uco Valley winery has over 200 state-of-the-art concrete amphorae personally designed by Zuccardi himself. The winning wine is a homage to that: Concreto, Malbec 2015. From their Altamira vineyards, Concreto is a young wine that is made with whole bunches and aged only in concrete. Concrete amphorae aren’t the only innovation under Zuccardi’s belt, he has been experimenting studiously for more than a decade and other wines that have come to light from his experimental lab include a sparkling red wine and unusual varieties in Argentina like Ancellotta and Caladoc.

Learn about the terroir of Uco Valley in this video, and about how Malbec from different Uco Valley wine regions tastes in this video, with Sebastian Zuccardi.

5. Juan Ignacio Arnulphi

San Juan just isn’t as sexy as the Uco Valley. However, new generation winemakers like Juan Ignacio Arnulphi are trying to change that. His Malbec from Pedernal under the Finca Las Moras label certainly impressed the tasting panel pushing him into the Top 5 Sub40 winemakers. Anyone living in Argentina knows that Trapiche’s San Juan label, Finca Las Moras offers serious good value Syrah but don’t overlook the Malbec as this tasting proved.

4 Nicolas Navio

After a few years in Mendoza and doing harvests in Europe and the US, Navio made his way down south to Neuquén in Patagonia. Although lesser known than Mendoza, Neuquén made it to the Top 5 with two wines in the tasting and one of them was Navio’s: Primogénito Malbec from Bodega Patritti. Navio has worked with Mariano Di Paola as a consultant for many years and his wines at Patritti include more than just Malbec: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

3 German Di Cesare

Another winemaker from the Trivento clan, German Di Cesare took third place for this wine: Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec. Di Cesare has been at Trivento for 15 years producing wine for the Argentinean branch of Concha y Toro, and has seen many new wines and lines come to light over his time. Golden Reserve is one of those wines he forged the way for, and it took came in at third position in the tasting.

2 Mauricio Vegetti

With a background as a cooper making barrels, Vegetti has plenty of experience in the barrel room and his winning wine showed an overall appreciation and balance between oak, fruit and acid. Gauchezco Oro Apelación Gualtallary comes from one of the top wine regions in the Uco Valley, which Vegetti convinced the owners of the Maipu winery, Gauchezco, to invest in. Vegetti is also a firm believer in Petit Verdot as a wine variety in Mendoza and makes a great single variety under the label.

1 Sergio Pomar

The winemakers’ choice for top winemaker under 40 is Sergio Pomar from Bodega Malma. In a tasting dominated by wines from Mendoza, it is a real accolade to the winemaker and region that a Neuquén wine won the title. Pomar moved down south in 2006 and has worked in both Rio Negro and Neuquén. Today he makes wines at both Bodega Malma and Bodega Fin del Mundo, which share the same ownership. The winning wine was Malma Reserva de Familia Malbec, which you might be pleased to know only costs around $20USD.

Best Senior Winemaker: Edgardo Del Popolo

The younger winemakers also picked a top wine from their mentors, the senior winemakers (or over 40s, to be more polite). The wine that stole the show for the tasting panel was the Benmarco Malbec Finca los Arbolitos 2015 which he makes at Dominio del Plata where he is winemaker and agronomist alongside Susana Balbo and her family. Del Popolo is one of Argentina’s most renowned winemakers not only for his work at Dominio del Plata but also for his own boutique brand, PerSe, with David Bonomi.

Winemaker portraits by Martin Orozco: photographer based in Mendoza, Argentina. You can see his full series of winemaker portraits online, and his daily portrait series on his Facebook.

November 18, 2016 0 comment

Mendoza News Features Wine

PiPA and Paraje Altamira GI, what’s next?

by Amanda Barnes November 15, 2016

written by Amanda Barnes

At the beginning of November, the first independent vintners association for Paraje Altamira GI was launched in Mendoza. PiPA (Productores Independendientes de Paraje Altamira, or Independent Producers of Paraje Altamira) is an association of 12 wine producers within the Paraje Altamira GI who are coming together to form a communications and representation body for one of Argentina’s newest appellations.

Much like splinter groups in neighbouring Chile, like MOVI and VIGNO, and other wine regions around the world, the goals of PiPA are to represent something particular. In this case it is Paraje Altamira, and the small producers within it.

Paraje Altamira GI and the future micro regions of the Uco Valley

Paraje Altamira GI (or Paraje Altamira IG in Spanish) was the first Geographical Indication in Argentina to be based on soils studies, rather than political boundaries. Based on an alluvial cone in the Uco Valley, the soils have a combination of sand, stones and loam, however what is most important is the layer of calcium carbonate underneath. This is what producers believe that in combination with the altitude (all over 1000m altitude) give the wines their unique character.

With soil-based GIs imminent for Gualtallary and Los Chacayes, there are already talks of more regional, representative bodies like PiPA for each of the new regions. Is this a new era of regional identity in Argentina?

The PiPA producers

Here are the 12 PiPA producers to date:

Adrian Río

Adrián and his wife Andrea have been cultivating vines since the 90s, but in 2007 they decided to go one step further and build their own winery: Bodega Laderas de los Andes. Today they have a 43 hectare estate of teenage vines of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. Bernardo Bossi Bonilla (best known as Head Winemaker of Casarena) is their winemaker.

Altos Las Hormigas

A well-known brand not only because of the quality of their wine, but also the quality of the winemakers. Altos is the project of world renowned Italian winemakers Alberto Antonini and Attilio Pagli, in partnership with Chilean terroir consultant Pedro Parra, and with Chilean winemaker Leo Erazo making the vino. Terroir Malbecs have always been their game, and now they are part of the terroir of Altamira with their 25 hectare Malbec vineyard.

Squeeze pour: Their delicious Appellation Series Altamira Malbec.

Chakana

Chakana is a producer based in Lujan de Cuyo’s Agrelo region (where it has 150 hectares), however, one of their most prized spots is their Altamira vineyard (41 hectares). The conditions of Altamira are not only favourable for Malbec, but they also make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the region. In order to get closer to the true terroir they are transitioning into organic and biodynamic viticulture.

Domados

With some of the oldest vineyards in the group, Domados boasts vines that date back to the 1920s as well as some newer vines planted 30 years ago. The vineyards have been passed down three generations in the family winery, and today Daniel Spigatin continues the legacy his grandfather started. The family are of Italian origin and you’ll find a homage to their ancestry in a few of their wines – including their prosecco-method sparkling Semillon and Chardonnay.

Finca Beth

Finca Beth started as a project between five friends, all in their 50s, who were looking to invest in Altamira for a side project. They planted vineyards and walnut trees, and aimed both products to the highest quality possible. Top wineries in the region began buying their grapes and sooner or later, they caught the wine bug. Working with the Michelini brothers in winemaking, Finca Beth’s first wine was launched from the 2013 harvest and has since almost doubled in production to 3000 bottles today. The plan is to stick to less than 5000 though.

Squeeze pour: 2km is a lip-smacking, juicy blend of Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

Finca La Igriega

Although the name might not make much sense in English, it means the ‘Y’ estate. Why Y? It means ‘and’ in Spanish. And owner Marcelo Goldberg, who has a successful career in fashion in Buenos Aires, believes that life doesn’t have to be about ‘or’, it can be about ‘and’. The family wine project has managed to unite great terroir with top winemaking and their Malbec is already up to production of 10,000 bottles a year. The winemaking is under the hand of Felipe Stahlschmidt, who is Head Winemaker at Pascual Toso.

Finca Las Glicinas

This family wine project started in 2003 when they bought some vineyards in Altamira, that were planted in 1999. With a dream to make wine, like their Italian ancestors had done centuries before them, they started making their own Malbec, Chardonnay and a red blend. Today they have 40 hectares in Altamira and produce 10,000 bottles a year.

Finca Suarez

Finca Suarez began four generations ago when Leopoldo Suarez decided to plant vineyards in Altamira. He fell in love with winemaking and was fueled by passion, but fell on bad times – as many in Argentina did during that period. The vines were lost, but that land wasn’t. And Leopoldo’s son and grandson replanted the abandoned vineyard to start the family legacy once again. Today Juanfa Suarez looks after the family’s 50 hectares on which they have Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Semillón and Merlot.

Squeeze pour: The delightful Semillón filled with the freshness of Altamira.

Lupa Wines

Juan Pablo Lupiañez worked in the wine industry for many years, but didn’t make his own wines until recently. He knew the value of old vines and so when he set out to start his new business, as a grape producers and vigneron, he sought out old vines in Altamira. Today he has 42 hectares of vineyards up to 60 years in age, and from those he picks a select handful to make his garage production of 10,000 bottles of Malbec.

Squeeze pour: A concentrated and rich Malbec with ageing potential.

SonVida

An Argentine-Anglo couple of journalists started SonVida as a way to enjoy the finer things in life: the Argentine countryside and making great wine. With 21 hectares of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, they mainly sell their grapes and make just two wines under their own brand: a Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Squeeze pour: There surpisingly aren’t many great Cabernet Sauvignons in Mendoza – SonVida is one of them.

Teho

Alejandro Sejanovich and Jeff Mausbach have a handful of different wine brands between them in all sorts of corners around Argentina. Teho is their more Altamira-focused brand, and they make top Cabernet Franc and Malbec (and blends) from their 15-year-old vineyard within Paraje Altamira. Teho means ‘blood of the earth’ in the native language, and these are their terroir-driven wines.

Squeeze pour: Teho Cabernet Franc is a herbal and floral delight.

Traslapiedra

Read it quick enough and you won’t notice, but ‘tras la piedra’ means behind the stone, and this blend is aimed at reflecting what Altamira can taste like – rather than just one varietal. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir come together in a fruit-driven blend. This is the most boutique of all the PiPA producers, with just 1 hectare to its name.
Tip: Make sure to take a look at the mind-boggling bottle design before drinking too much!

November 15, 2016 0 comment

Mendoza By Region Travel & Culture

Getting to grips with Argentina’s terroir: Hyatt winemaker nights

by Amanda Barnes November 11, 2016

written by Amanda Barnes

If you want to get your teeth into a wine tasting that goes beyond a simple wine flight, this is the one for you. The new ‘terroir sessions’ series at The Hyatt wine bar is shaping up to be an excellent regular tasting in Mendoza.

It was almost two years ago when the weekly Winemaker’s Nights at The Vines of Mendoza came to an end (when they closed their wine bar), leaving a big gap in the city for professional wine tastings. The Hyatt has now picked up that mantle, and is offering a series of expert wine tastings every second Wednesday in their Uvas Tasting Room (which coincidentally used to be The Vines tasting room).

Usually accompanied by the winemaker, you taste through at least three premium wines from the winery focusing on the different concept and terroir for each wine. After a professional appreciation of the wines, a few tasty nibbles come out opening up the discussion so you can eat, drink, be merry, and interrogate the host winemaker with all your unanswered questions.

Last week Alta Vista took to the tasting table with winemaker Matthieu Grassin taking the group of wine lovers on a whirlwind tour of their single vineyard range of Malbecs. Each comes from old vines (all over 80 years old), from a massal selection of Malbec, and are picked with the same maturity. The only difference is the ‘terroir’. This was the topic of discussion over the tasting, and Matthieu brought photos from the regions to take us there virtually as we tasted the wines.

Single vineyard is an important concept to Alta Vista. They were the first in Argentina to use the term, and at the time (in 2000) they were able to register ‘single vineyard’ because no one else was using it. They also registered ‘terroir’, another word no one was using yet. Argentina has a turbulent history behind trademarking names… Wineries in the past have been able to trademark a region’s name and no producers from the region have been able to use that name consequently. You can trawl through Google to see some examples of shameful trademarking of region names. However Alta Vista generously gave the trademark for both phrases to the national wine institute in 2007. And since then, the concept has caught on fire. Single vineyard is, as we say in Argentina, ‘de moda‘ (in fashion).

Despite their long history with single vineyard wines, Matthieu is a believer in blends. “I think blends will be the future of Argentina,” he said over the tasting. “It is the best way to express the place.”

From the tasting we had though, I am quite content to drink the single vineyards too!

What we tasted:

Temis 2012
The Temis single vineyard comes from old vines in El Cepillo in the Uco Valley. The most feminine of the line up, Temis is floral and fresh with a wonderful violet note that is typical of the region. With a light tickle of spice on the finish, Temis is a beautiful, fresher style of Malbec with smooth tannins and a delicious lineal finish.
Wine for: Those who love to drink Malbec before dinner.

Serenade 2012
Coming from Lujan de Cuyo’s Agrelo region, these old vines produce a much more dense and powerful Malbec with rich and ripe plummy fruits, a spicy peppered bacon note and a voluminous mouth with more rustic tannins. If the Temis was the fair maiden of the group, Serenade is the brawny beefcake. It naturally calls for a typical Argentine BBQ.
Wine for: Juicy, fatty meat. The sort that makes any Argentine’s mouth water.

Alizarine 2012
Alizarine would be the love child of both the previous Malbecs. It shares the more feminine floral notes of Temis, and the rich fruit of Serenade. Las Compuertas is a unique spot in Lujan de Cuyo because it has a wider thermal amplitude than anywhere else in Lujan de Cuyo and even some places in the Uco Valley. Matthieu likes to use parts of this old vineyard for Alta Vista’s top wine, Alto, because of its potential for aging.
Wine for: Collectors and wine geeks.

We also got to sample their delicious new Brut Nature bubbly, which was a lovely bonus!

The next Terroir Sessions is Wednesday 23rd November at 8pm in Uvas wine bar. It costs $390 per person and more details are available on Facebook.

November 11, 2016 0 comment

Mendoza By Region Travel & Culture

Sunset, camera, action! Mendoza’s openair cinema season returns

by Amanda Barnes November 7, 2016

written by Amanda Barnes

If you are a fan of movies and wine, this is your month in Mendoza! The open air cinema season kicked off last weekend at Catena Zapata winery, and marks the beginning of six weeks of outdoor cinema hosted at wineries around Mendoza.

The annual charity event is hosted by Bodegas de Argentina in order to raise money for Fundavita, a local cancer charity helping families financially and mentally to battle the disease and improve cancer research in Mendoza. Each ticket for the events costs $100 pesos and raises money for Fundavita.

Wineries help sponsor the event offering their vineyards and gardens to become an outdoor cinema for the evening and inviting guests to sample their wine during the performance.

Most of the movies are classics from the last 30 years and the series offers a nostalgic hour or two of cinematic splendor in the beautiful surrounds of Mendoza’s wineries. It’s a perfect evening to enjoy a beautiful sunset, a good movie and some great wines while donating to a good cause. What could be more inviting on a summer’s evening?

Here’s the full line up, and you can get tickets online here!

November 7, 2016 0 comment

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